facebook-pixel

Grantsville man arrested on 37 counts of child sex abuse

Police arrested a 48-year-old Grantsville man Friday after three children in his neighborhood came forward with allegations he had sexually abused them.

Detective Cody Painter said more potential victims had come forward since the allegations were first reported.

A parent of the children contacted Grantsville police about the allegations on Thursday. During interviews with police, the children — who range in age from 7 to 13 years old — described varying types of abuse, from the man exposing himself to them to rape, according to a probable cause statement. The eldest child told police the man had been abusing him for four years.

The man was booked into jail on 37 offenses related to the alleged abuse. The felony charges include two counts of sex abuse of child, ten counts of child rape, ten counts of object rape of a child, ten counts of sodomy on a child and one count of sexual exploitation of a minor. He is also accused of three counts of lewdness involving a child and a count of unlawful detention of a minor. Both are misdemeanor offenses.

He is being held in the Tooele County jail without the option to post bail after a judge ruled he would constitute a substantial danger to the public if released.

The Salt Lake Tribune generally does not identify people accused of crimes until charges have been filed.